Getting found in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
More and more clients ask their question to ChatGPT or see an AI answer above Google first. Here is how to make sure your business is named in that answer — a practical step-by-step plan.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) means structuring your content so AI search engines — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini — and Google AI Overviews cite you, not just so you rank highly.
- The biggest open goal: ChatGPT's web search leans heavily on the Bing index, and ChatGPT is by far the most-used AI search tool. If your sitemap is not in Bing Webmaster Tools, you are invisible to most AI search traffic.
- Five building blocks: submit to Bing and Google, write answer-first, create self-contained entity-rich passages, add structured data (schema.org) plus sameAs links, and measure whether you get cited.
- Expect four to eight weeks before citations move. GEO does not replace SEO; it builds on it.
Why you now need to appear in AI answers as well as Google
Your clients' search behaviour is shifting. Instead of scanning ten blue links, people ask their question to ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini, or they first read the AI overview Google shows above the results. In each of those cases the user gets one composed answer with a handful of sources — and whoever is not among those sources does not exist in that answer. GEO, Generative Engine Optimization, is the discipline of getting cited in that AI answer. The good news for SMEs: the fundamentals overlap strongly with good SEO, and many competitors are still doing nothing about it. Getting the basics right now buys you a lead that lasts months.
Five steps to get found in AI search engines
This step-by-step plan works for any SME website. The first step is the most important and the most overlooked.
1. Submit your sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console
ChatGPT's web search — by far the most-used AI search tool — leans heavily on the Bing index. Many businesses are only in Google Search Console and are therefore invisible to ChatGPT. Create a free Bing Webmaster Tools account, add your domain and submit your sitemap (you can import your verification and sitemap straight from Google Search Console). In the same step, check that you are verified in Google Search Console, because Google AI Overviews draws from the regular Google index. This is the cheapest step with the biggest impact.
2. Write answer-first
AI search engines lift the opening sentences of a section from your page. So begin your intro and every subheading with a direct two-to-three-sentence answer to that section's question, and only then elaborate. Do not build up to a conclusion at the bottom — the model will never reach it. Phrase the heading as a question your audience actually types ('What does a website cost?') and give the core answer right underneath.
3. Create self-contained, entity-rich passages
Keep the core of each section compact and standalone — around 130 to 170 words, without references like 'as mentioned above'. AI systems extract individual passages, not whole pages. Name concrete entities: tools, legal articles, roles, places and numbers. A passage that names 'Article 4 of the EU AI Act, in force since 2 February 2025' is far more usable to a language model than 'the relevant regulation'. Also keep your publication and modified dates current; freshness counts.
4. Add structured data and sameAs links
Give every page schema.org structured data in JSON-LD, in one @graph: Article, FAQPage and BreadcrumbList, plus HowTo when the article is a genuine step-by-step plan (never on a list or set of criteria — that counts as spam). Also link your brand to your profiles with sameAs on your Organization and Person nodes: your LinkedIn company page, your YouTube channel and your personal LinkedIn. This helps both Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT confirm that it is all one and the same trustworthy business.
5. Measure whether you get cited
Without measuring you do not know if it works. Make a list of ten questions your ideal client would ask and put them to ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini weekly. Note whether your business is named and on which question. That shows you movement and tells you which topics are still missing. Expect four to eight weeks after publishing before citations pick up — so start measuring early.
Three misconceptions about AI findability
Misconception 1: 'GEO replaces SEO.' No. AI search engines draw from the same indexes and signals as classic search. A fast, well-structured site with real expertise is the foundation; GEO is the layer on top. Misconception 2: 'An llms.txt file sorts it out.' An llms.txt helps when you hand a model your URL, and ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity read it, but Google has openly said it does not use it for AI Overviews and real-world adoption is low. Put one in place, but do not expect miracles — structured data and entities do the real work. Misconception 3: 'More keywords = more AI citations.' Stacking keywords backfires. What counts is a clear, direct answer with concrete facts and demonstrable expertise (a real, named author with a background).
Frequently asked questions about GEO and AI findability
What is the difference between GEO and SEO?
Does Google AI Overviews use an llms.txt file?
How long does it take before I appear in AI answers?
Do I have to choose between investing in SEO or GEO?
Can Delahaye Solutions improve my AI findability?
Are you found when your client asks ChatGPT?
Book a free call. We look together at whether you appear in AI answers and where the biggest gains are — free and without commitment.
Book a free call →Free and without obligation · Reply within one business day · Fixed price up front, no surprises